Village Gamer

June Jiang Kun and Mark ‘Dashan’ Rowswell team up in the ground-breaking television special, the Chinese Comedy & Variety Show, in Mandarin with English subtitles, filmed at the Toronto Just For Laughs Festival. The English-subtitled version will air on OMNI. 2 and OMNI British Columbia, Sunday July 10, 2011 at 8:30 PM. The 90-minute special premiered on OMNI Television February 6th, to coincide with Chinese New Year, and following that was seen by millions in China when it aired on April 22 and 23 on Chinese network CCTV3.

Jiang Kun, China’s biggest comedy superstar brings his full Quyi Performing Arts Group to Just For Laughs Toronto for a live show that defies description. His comedy partner, and host of the television special, is Canadian ‘Dashan’, who has been called “the most famous foreigner in China.”

Just For Laughs’ own Chairman Mao, Andy Nulman said, “we’re thrilled that this risky undertaking proved to be hilarious, and we’re hoping to help out the Western world’s economy by selling something TO China, for a change. I always thought Mandarin sounded funny, but now I know it does. Now that we know we got great ratings in China, with about 30 to 40 million viewers tuning in, I will do my best to convince the Canadian government not to invade their nation.”

The on-stage performances feature a hilarious mix of comedy and variety; acts include spoken-word comedy, the three M’s of variety: music, magic, mime and the wildly popular Aerfa (the Justin Bieber of China).

Jiang Kun is without question the biggest comedy star in the world given the number of fans he has, as his comedy specials regularly rate in the multiple-hundreds of millions with the Chinese audiences. Dashan, AKA Mark Rowswell, has worked in China as a performer, television host and cultural ambassador for over 20 years. A Canadian, he studied Chinese at Beijing University, and a chance television appearance jump-started his comedy career, gradually turning “Dashan” into a household name across China.

Filmed as part of the Toronto Just For Laughs Festival, this is the second television project of Just For Laughs in a third language (other than the two official Canadian languages). Last year’s Just For Laughs Hinglish started the initiative, in Hindi. In collaboration with OMNI Television, it’s our mission to bring laughter to Canadians from a wide range of ethnic communities, and comedy fans around the world… no matter what language they speak.

A recent Vendor Landscape report evaluating dedicated Secure Socket Layer Virtual Private Network (SSL VPN) appliances published by the Ontario-based Info-Tech Research Group ranked WatchGuard, SonicWALL and Barracuda as Champions in the space. All three vendors were recognized for offering significant value for money.

“As workers become more and more mobile, SSL VPN is becoming a de facto requirement for every enterprise,” said James Quin, Lead Research Analyst for Info-Tech Research Group. “SSL VPN is critical for organizations that employ remote or mobile workers or aim to increase productivity by providing 24×7 corporate network access.”

According to Info-Tech Research Group, organizations looking to purchase a dedicated appliance based SSL VPN solution will get best value for money by selecting any of the three Champions in the report. WatchGuard received the “Best Overall Value Award” with SonicWALL trailing by just one point. Both earned high marks because of their rock bottom pricing along with broad feature sets. Barracuda Networks narrowly missed finishing in the top two spots on the Value Index. Their solution is also available at a great price, but offers less functionality for now. Mobile device support is not currently available with Barracuda Networks, but the vendor has plans for its availability in an upcoming release.

Array Networks and Juniper Networks are “Innovators” in the SSL VPN market according to the report. Their products both scored exceptionally well in the evaluation and as their presence in the market grows, both are poised to become Champions in the space.

Intranet Connections has announced the latest release of their social intranet software. Intranet Connections v11 builds on employee participation and engagement via your intranet by giving users the power to embrace and share company culture with innovative tools that are out of the box.

“Our intranet software helps to connect employees by information and knowledge sharing, online collaboration and the enhancement of your company culture,” says Carolyn Douglas, CEO of Intranet Connections. “We added dynamic tools such as our new Application Builder, allowing you to easily create any type of application you need for your intranet. We want to provide tools that help improve your business, through your employees and the intranet.”

Application Builder gives you the power to be creative when building applications. You have complete control over input forms, fields, and layout screens. Intranet Connections has harnessed AJAX drag and drop, creating an easy to use and dynamic application-building experience, with collaborative social elements such as employee tagging, comments, ratings and widgets.

Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Binary Stream Software and Corporate Renaissance Group (CRG) recently partnered to bring a new innovative and streamlined approach to multi-entity implementation projects.  The recent release of CRG’s Company Combiner brings Microsoft Dynamics GP users a new company consolidation option that will bring significant value to these users during their implementations.

“With the complementary combination of Corporate Renaissance Group’s Company Combiner and Binary Stream’s Multi-Entity Management we are very excited to be able to provide the Microsoft Dynamics GP community with an incredibly easy way to set-up and start managing their entities with our solution,” said Lak Chahal, President and CEO of Binary Stream Software.

Binary Stream’s Multi-Entity Management solution has long been the primary multi-entity solution for the Microsoft Dynamics GP channel. By enabling companies to work securely from one consolidated company set-up, this solution has enabled organizations worldwide to effectively manage and report on their multiple locations, subsidiaries and corporate entities with ease. Now with CRG’s Company Combiner, existing Microsoft Dynamics GP users can cut down their data conversion costs by over 50% and streamline the overall go-live process.

CRG’s Company Combiner gives Microsoft Dynamics GP users the ability to efficiently and easily consolidate companies with identical charts of accounts.  By reducing the risk of database consolidations, this solution bridges the divide between the essential consolidation steps involved in Multi-Entity Management set-ups and enables companies to quickly gain efficiencies in their launch processes.

“CRG and Binary Stream are long time Dynamics GP ISVs with great solutions.  We are thrilled to now offer a complementary product.  With both solutions, organizations will be able to get to their optimum configuration quicker and become more efficient with their use of Dynamics GP.  As organizations continue to get lean, we see the need of our solutions even more over the next few years,” said Dr. Vijay Jog, President of Corporate Renaissance Group.

The new release of the Company Combiner is currently available from the Corporate Renaissance Group team.

Shaw’s Rocket Fund has released the application forms and deadline dates for its Television and Digital development programs. The Shaw Rocket Fund supports Canadian children’s programming which is recognized worldwide for its creativity and commitment to quality. The company is a  strong believer in the ability of quality programming to provide value in fuelling the young, imaginative minds of our kids and enriching their lives through interaction with creative content on all platforms.

TV Programming

• September 14, 2011
• January 18, 2012
• May 9, 2012

Digital Programming

• September 28, 2011
• February 1, 2012
• May 23, 2012

The Shaw Rocket Fund is supported by Shaw Communications Inc., Shaw Pay Per View Ltd. a division of Shaw Cablesystems G.P., and Shaw Direct.

Ubisoft^® has announced the development of The Black Eyed Peas^® Experience video game, the second game in the multi-million selling ‘Experience’ franchise. The new dance game will feature fun and dance moves as well as hit songs and fan favorites from The Black Eyed Peas multi-platinum selling catalog. It will be released on the Kinect™ for Microsoft Xbox 360^® and Nintendo Wii™.

“The Black Eyed Peas are the perfect artists to headline our next Experience game. Their award-winning music, dance moves and artistic style will be combined into a gaming experience that will excite both fans of the group and those who enjoy playing dance titles,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and chief executive officer of Ubisoft. “The Black Eyed Peas are a worldwide phenomenon and Ubisoft is the worldwide leader in dance games – together we are going to make The Black Eyed Peas Experience a game that fans around the world will love.”

Ubisoft’s Experience franchise has sold more than three million copies to date by making an artist’s universe accessible to fans in an interactive and immersive game. The Black Eyed Peas Experience takes that concept even further, and features a comprehensive selection of the The Black Eyed Peas’ hit music tracks as well as dance routines arranged by the group’s famed choreographer, Fatima Robinson. In the Microsoft Xbox 360 version of the game, which Ubisoft is developing in partnership with renowned music game developers iNiS, players will control their on-screen avatar via the Kinect™ for Microsoft Xbox 360^® entertainment system while following the dance moves of 3D avatars, including avatars of each of The Black Eyed Peas: apl.de.ap, Fergie, Taboo and will.i.am.

The Wii™ version of The Black Eyed Peas Experience, being developed by Ubisoft Quebec, will feature game play similar to Ubisoft’s Just Dance titles, where players hold a Wii™ Remote and follow the moves of the The Black Eyed Peas’ on-screen avatars.

“We are thrilled to be working with Ubisoft to create The Black Eyed Peas Experience video game,” shared will.i.am, frontman for The Black Eyed Peas^®. “Ubisoft has both redefined and dominated the dance category in the video game industry and we can’t wait to be part of taking that to the next level by infusing an experience that’s 100 percent authentic to The Black Eyed Peas.”

Vancouver IT services company Appnovation Technologies has announced the launch of the monthly SproutCore user group meet ups for the Vancouver area with the first meet up scheduled for Tuesday, July 26th, to be hosted at their office. The purpose of the monthly event is for SproutCore, Mobile and Javascript developers and enthusiasts to learn about the SproutCore framework, share their experiences using it and to stay up to date on the framework’s latest developments. Similar user groups have been successfully launched in cities like Los Angeles, New York and Berlin.

SproutCore is an HTML5 and Javascript framework that allows for the creation of mobile applications that can be coded and deployed across multiple mobile platforms such as iOS, Blackberry and Android devices. The SproutCore framework was originally written in 2007 by Charles Jolley and his team. Charles soon went to Apple where he ran the team that built MobileMe and iwork.com using the SproutCore platform. After several years at Apple, Charles left to form Strobe Inc to be the commercial support for the open source Sproutcore framework. In April of this year Appnovation announced their partnership with Strobe marking them as the first official West Coast based partner for the company.

For the inaugural Vancouver meet up Appnovation is pleased to welcome presenters Luis Sala, Strobe Director of Technical Account Management, and Tom Dale, Strobe Senior Software Engineer and SproutCore Core Team Member.

Ever since last February’s post-Superbowl, jaw-dropping cliff-hanger finale, FlashPoint viewers have been lighting up fan sites and the Twitter-verse, anxiously waiting to find out how the drama would unfold. Will Ed (Hugh Dillon) pull through his shocking attack at gunpoint? Will psychologist Dr. Toth (guest star Victor Garber, Alias) fulfill his agenda to disband Team One? Beginning July 8, viewers will get their answers, and more, when Canada’s most-watched Canadian drama this season returns with all-new episodes, Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV (visit CTV.ca to confirm local broadcast times). This season, viewers can also lock their sights on Team One’s newest member, young diamond-in-the-rough recruit Rafik “Raf” Rousseau, played by Clé Bennett (The Line).

New episodes of FlashPoint are available on demand the day following their television broadcast on the CTV Video Player. Viewers can also get the latest news, play the FlashPoint: Training Day game, or catch up on episodes from Seasons 1-3 at CTV.ca. Encore Season 3 episodes also continue Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on CTV leading into the Season 4 premiere.

“With so many questions unanswered and the fate of Team One in doubt, the Season 4 premiere is must-watch television for FlashPoint fans,” said Phil King, President, CTV Programming & Sports. “It’s a riveting lead-in to the new season, which promises more heart-pumping action than ever before.”

“We’re extremely thankful for the outstanding support of our fans at home in Canada, and all over the world,” said executive producers Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Mustos. “And we’re thrilled to bring them a Season 4 that’s stronger than ever before. We’ll take a more intimate look into the personal lives of our FlashPoint heroes, move at a pace that’s faster than ever, and continue to tell stories that pack a strong emotional punch.”

Recently renewed for a fifth season by CTV, FlashPoint has delivered strong audiences both in and out of simulcast since its debut in 2008. The dynamic series has just concluded a remarkable run on CTV this past winter, averaging 1.65 million viewers out of simulcast. Concluding with the post-Superbowl cliff-hanger finale, it saw double digit growth in the three key adult demos, up 15% with A18-34, 18% with A18-49 and 19% with A25-54, compared to its previous season, and it garnered series-high audiences among A18-34, becoming Canada’s most-watched Canadian drama this season. From its outset in 2008 when it led the way for several other Canadian series to air on U.S. networks, FlashPoint has picked up a number of record-breaking Gemini nominations: 19 in 2009 and 15 in 2010. The series was recently awarded a Writers Guild of Canada Award for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series (Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern).

In addition to all-new episodes airing in simulcast with CBS this summer, CTV’s FlashPoint is also licensed in more than 100 territories worldwide, including RTL2 in Germany, Canal Plus in France and Veronica in the Netherlands.

FlashPoint stars an impressive list of talent, including Hugh Dillon (Durham County) as Ed Lane, team leader and lead sniper; Enrico Colantoni (Veronica Mars) as Gregory Parker, the team sergeant and head negotiator; Amy Jo Johnson (Felicity) as Julianna “Jules” Callaghan, secondary negotiator and rappelling expert; David Paetkau (Whistler) as Sam Braddock, the young hot-shot sniper on the team; Michael Cram (Stargate: Atlantis) as Kevin “Wordy” Wordsworth, who specializes in close quarter combat; Sergio Di Zio (Just Buried) as Mike “Spike” Scarlatti, explosives and tactical toys expert; and Clé Bennett (The Line) as Rafik “Raf” Rousseau, new recruit.

—-Spoiler Alert—-

Do not read any further if you don’t want to know what’s coming in the Season 4 premiere.

—-Just Sayin’—-

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Montreal’s Transcontinental Interactive was a big winner at the prestigious Magnum Opus Awards for 2011, capturing a total of 30 top prizes.  Showcasing its leadership in digital and content marketing solutions, Transcontinental Interactive came home with some serious industry recognition.  The awards, which recognize excellence in custom-media editorial, design and strategy, were presented by ContentWise and the Content Marketing Institute and were judged by leading custom-publishing professionals and professors from the Missouri School of Journalism.

Transcontinental Interactive was singled out for its outstanding work in design, editorial content, photography, illustration and complete publication. With seven awards for online content, Transcontinental Interactive proved that it has what it takes to win in both the online and offline space.

“Being recognized by these prestigious awards is yet another reason to be proud of the consumer centric solutions we provide our customers,” said Christian Trudeau, President of Transcontinental Interactive. “These awards reflect not only the creative results our teams generate for our clients, but also the commitment to being a strategic marketing partner to fulfill our clients needs every step of the way.”

Among Transcontinental Interactive’s honours:

• Seven gold awards for leading North American brands such as Aeroplan, P&G, Sobeys and Geico
• Nine silver awards for print magazine work; electronic publication or websites; and  all-around publication work
• Five bronze awards and nine honourable mentions

Now in their eighth year, the Magnum Opus Awards are the top recognition for organizations using print and online publications, as well as social media in their content marketing efforts. This year, the judges considered 560 entries in 217 categories, including 18 interactive product categories for magazines, videos, blogs, podcasts, and use of social media, among others.

Two years after We Live in Public, a film that portrays our willingness to sacrifice our privacy in an online world, American film-maker Ondi Timoner, Director at Interloper Films, once again aims her camera at the Internet. This time her focus is on Internet startups in an era of almost complete transparency. It’s a film about big ideas and big data, from the first back of a napkin to the billionth user. But it’s also about how those businesses can modify our behavior, convincing and coercing us to do their bidding through the power of public, social interactions.

The documentary will kick off filming at the International Startup Festival in Montréal, July 13 to 15, 2011, where hundreds of founders, investors, and successful entrepreneurs are gathering to tackle the business of launching new ventures.

The International Startup Festival is a two-day dynamic event of networking, learning, new ideas that focus on the business of startups. It brings a global audience together to cover the entire startup lifecycle: early-stage innovation; scaling the business; and achieving a successful exit.